Poem of the Righteous Sufferer
The Babylonian Job
Ancient
Mesopotamian literature shows the eventual rejection of the pre-moral beliefs
and practices that are described in
epic tales and early
hymns. The following lines from a hymn to the great Sumerian
god Eniii reflect the once close relationship between gods
and mortals that was based Upon
material considerations of "gifts
of sacrifice":
Father Enlil, lord of unerring
word,
Father Enlil, shepherd of the dark
headed people,...
Father Enlil, with song
majestically we come, the presents of
the
ground are
offered to thee as gifts of
sacrifice ....
Father Enlil, accept the
sacred offerings, the many offerings."
The "Poem of the Righteous Sufferer," which exists in both Sumerian
and Babylonian, apparently reflects the
beginning of this great change in Outlook. It tells of
a man who has lost his
prosperous and exalted position and
suffers from ever-increasing afflictions despite his strict adherence to established religious
practices - sacrifices, supplications, incantations,
and magic. (His religiosity
clearly seems to be ceremonial and cultic rather than ethical.) Forsaken by gods and men, he moves from perplexity and doubt to blank
despair. The greater part of the
poem, however, is a defense of
the whole system of traditional doctrine
and ritual. It glorifies Marduk, the great god of
“WHAT
STRANGE CONDITIONS EVERY WHERE!”
My god has
forsaken me and disappeared,
My goddess has
failed me and keeps at a distance.
The benevolent angel
who walked beside me has departed,
My protecting spirit
has taken to flight, and is seeking someone else.
My strength is gone;
my appearance has become gloomy;
My dignity has flown
away, my protection made off....
The king, the flesh
of the gods, the sun of his peoples,
His heart is enraged
with me, and cannot be appeased.
The courtiers plot
hostile action against me,
They
assemble themselves and give utterance to impious words.... They combine against
me in slander and lies.
My lordly
mouth have they held as with reins,
So that 1,
whose lips used to prate, have become like a mute.
My sonorous shout is
reduced to silence,
My lofty
head is bowed down to the ground,
Dread has
enfeebled my robust heart....
If I walk the
street, cars are pricked;
If I enter the
palace, eyes blink.
My city frowns on me
as an enemy;
Indeed my
land is savage and hostile.
My friend has become
foe,
My companion
has become a wretch and a devil....
As I turn
round, it is terrible, it is terrible;
My ill luck has
increased, and I do not find the right.
I called to
my god, but he did not show his face,
I prayed to
my goddess, but she did not raise her head.
ne diviner with his
inspection has not got to the root of the matter, Nor has the dream priest with
his libation elucidated my case.
I sought the favour
of the zaqiqu-spirit, but he did not enlighten me; And the incantation priest
with his ritual did not appease the divine wrath against me.
What strange
conditions everywhere!
When I look
behind, there is persecution, trouble.
“PRAYER WAS DISCRETION, SACRIFICE MY RULE"
Nor invoked his
goddess at table,
Does not engage in
prostration, nor takes cognizance of bowing down; From whose mouth supplication
and prayer is lacking,
Who has done
nothing on holy days, and despised Sabbaths,
Who in his
negligence has despised the gods' rites,
Has not
taught his people reverence and worship,
But has
eaten his food without invoking his god,
And
abandoned his goddess by not bringing a flour offering,
Like one who has
grown torpid and forgotten his lord,
Has
frivolously sworn a solemn oath by his god, like such a one do I appear.
For myself, I gave
attention to supplication and prayer:
To me prayer
was discretion, sacrifice my rule.
The day for
reverencing the god was a joy to my heart;
ne day of
the goddess's procession was profit and gain to me.
The king's
prayer - that was my joy,
And the
accompanying music became a delight for me.
I instructed
my land to keep the god's rites,
And provoked
my people to value the goddess's name.
I made
praise for the king like a god's,
And taught
the populace reverence for the palace.
I wish I
knew that these things were pleasing to one's god!
“WHO
KNOWS THE WILL OF THE GODS?"
What is
proper to oneself is an offence to one's god,
What in
one's own heart seems despicable is proper to one's god.
Who knows
the will of the gods in heaven?
Who understands the
plans of the underworld gods?
Where have
mortals learnt the way of a god?
He who was
alive yesterday is dead today.
For a minute
he was dejected, suddenly he is exuberant.
One moment
people are singing in exaltation,
Another they
groan like professional mourners.
Their
condition changes like opening and shutting the legs.
When
starving they become like corpses,
When replete
they vie with the gods.
In
prosperity they speak of scaling heaven,
Under
adversity they complain of going down to hell.
I am
appalled at these things; I do not understand their significance....
CONCLUSION: "MARDUK
RESTORED ME"
The Lord set me on
my feet,
The Lord gave me
life,
He rescued me from
the pit,
He summoned me from destruction,
[... ] he pulled me
from the Hubur river,
[... ) he took my
hand ....
Marduk, he restored
me ....
The Babylonians saw
how Marduk restores to life, And all quarters extolled his greatness: ...
Mortals, as many as
there are, give praise to Marduk!